Haiti is referred to as the NGO Republic of Haiti in an article in the Nation Magazine. On January 12th, 2010 a devastating earthquake struck Haiti killing at least 200,00 people and leaving more injured and millions homeless. NGO’s descended on Haiti in droves to “do good” and wound up living in US suburban type homes some of which rent at $1800 a month in US dollars, driving SUVs and eating at new fancy restaurants. In contrast, practically across the street from this opulence Haitians live in rat invested tent cities, with no sewage system or clean water.
At the so-named International Donors Conference promoted by Bill Clinton and others following the earthquake, $5.3 billion dollars was pledged for Haiti to be distributed over a 2-year period. But how much of that money was actually received and of what was received how much of it was actually benefited those impacted by the earthquake?
Today an update on Haiti, the political situation on the ground as well as damning reports on the misuse of funds donated for Haiti Relief to the Red Cross as well as funds from the US government via US Aid. Our guests are Jake Johnston, a Research Associate at the Center for Economic and Policy Research and Walter Riley, chair of the board of the Haiti Emergency Relief Fund. Walter Riley recently returned from Haiti.
Also for our South of the Border series, Laura Carlsen returns. We discuss the recent mid-term elections in Mexico, an update on the 43 missing students now presumed dead, and how Cubans are responding to the US removing Cuba from the list of states who sponsor terrorism.
